Portugal and Austria Meet in Paris Desperate to Turn Euro 2016 Campaigns Around
As far as Euro 2016’s Group F is concerned, both Portugal and Austria were left with the desire for a do-over on Tuesday evening.
The Austrians’ 2-0 defeat to Hungary in Bordeaux was swiftly followed by Portuguese frustration, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by an Iceland side we’re contractually obliged to call “tiny” in Saint-Etienne.
It’s left the group with a somewhat-upside-down look going into a crucial second match in which something has to give—be that Austria’s status as a team everyone claimed could spring surprises in France, or Portugal’s sense of pride after reassuring us that it was all going to be different this time.
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At least on their side, Cristiano Ronaldo’s outburst after failing to beat a stoic and impressive Iceland team could serve as inspiration for a squad undoubtedly high on quality individuals, but still with question marks hovering over them as a collective.
Ronaldo’s claim that Iceland are “not going to do anything in the competition” (via the Daily Mirror’s Ed Malyon) is the sort of thing that has a habit of coming back to haunt chastened, beaten teams the moment that they exit tournaments. And given the way that this one is shaping up, it would be no surprise to see a big name fall at the first hurdle.
Will that be Portugal? It won’t be if they can win here, against an Austrian team that was—as everyone was only too willing to tell you—very impressive in qualifying for this tournament, but the Austrians looked as though they might just have peaked too early in losing to a well-organised Hungarian outfit last time out.
They were a little disjointed, and then suddenly confused once none of the things they tried to get here were paying off. If this tournament were a year ago, they might have had a very good chance of going far, but as it is now, Portugal could virtually eliminate them here.
But to do that, the Portuguese will need a vastly improved display of their own.
The first half against Iceland was all well and good, and but for sharper finishing skills, Nani could—and probably should—have doubled his and his country’s tally of goals. But in the second period, it was sheer force of human spirit that pushed them back. To put it in Sunday League football terms: Iceland “wanted it more” than their opposition.
They merited a point, even Ronaldo knows that, but he’ll also know that it was a point that was far from the end of the world or Portugal’s tournament. If you’re going to have a blip, it might as well come at the start.
Lessons should have been learned from the clash, which can be taken on to Saturday in Paris.
Fernando Santos could well change up the static defence that allowed Birkir Bjarnason in for the equaliser in Saint-Etienne, with the right-back Vieirinha perhaps the most under pressure after switching off for the goal. Jose Fonte could also come in for the ageing Ricardo Carvalho to give a more solid look to things.
Further forward, there is almost an embarrassment of riches available to Santos should he wish to switch things around in attack, with most Portuguese supporters craving a start for Ricardo Quaresma, the reborn wide-man who was electric in the pre-tournament friendlies but only got 14 minutes against Iceland.
Perhaps that is the sort of move Santos needs to make, to unleash his joker card in a match in which the Austrians are the ones who’ll approach it under the most pressure.
Ronaldo's anguished face at full-time against Iceland is one that his supporters don’t want to see again, but in the Austria match on Saturday, his side will at least find opponents who are more than willing to attack and look to score goals. They have to.
It promises to make for one of the more intriguing of the second round of these group-stage fixtures.
Portugal, the great pretenders to glory whose place in pre-tournament adverts is always more secure than their place in the final stages, face Austria, a side that longs to be seen as one of the great progressive nations in the European game, but might just lack the tools to do so.
Yet with the group left looking upside-down following those opening-day shocks from Hungary and Iceland, this now matters more than it was probably supposed to.
There won’t be room for any do-overs after this.
